Department for Communities and Local Government

Local Government Finance: Greater Manchester

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much (a) Bolton and (b) Wigan councils received in government grants in (i) 2014-15 and (ii) 2015-16.

Mr Marcus Jones: This information is publically available.Bolton Council 14/15 - http://www.bolton.gov.uk/sites/DocumentCentre/Documents/Statement%20of%20Accounts%202014-15.pdfWigan Council 14/15 - https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Docs/PDF/Council/Performance-and-Spending/Statement-Accounts/Statement-of-Accounts-Final-Audited-Version.pdfIndicative formula allocations were made through the Final Local Government Finance Settlement for England 2015-16. Further details can be found here:  https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/final-local-government-finance-settlement-england-2015-to-2016My Department does not hold a live list of non-formula grant allocations to local authorities over the current financial year. Both Bolton and Wigan councils will release this information as part of their Statement of Accounts for 2015/16.

Sleeping Rough

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in the number of people sleeping rough since 2010.

Mr Marcus Jones: This Government is committed to protecting the most vulnerable in society - one person without a home is one too many - that is why since 2010 we have invested more than £500 million to prevent and tackle homelessness in England.More rough sleepers are being found and helped quicker. Our measures include supporting the roll-out of No Second Night Out across England through the Homelessness Transition Fund. In London, two-thirds of rough sleepers come off the streets after a single night. We have also commissioned the pioneering StreetLink service, which since its launch has helped over 14,500 rough sleepers by connecting them to local support services and avoid becoming entrenched in a life on the streets.We are committed to do more to improve services for homeless people with complex needs. Our investment includes £5 million for the world’s first homelessness Social Impact Bond, which is reaching 830 entrenched rough sleepers in London.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

British Virgin Islands: Companies

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the length of time it is taking the British Virgin Island government to respond to its consultation on a public register of beneficial ownership.

James Duddridge: The BVI Government issued a public consultation document in November 2013, seeking public opinion on whether or not the BVI should adopt a central register of beneficial ownership. The consultation process concluded in March 2014 and this was followed by a review and analysis of the submissions. The results were published in February 2015. Since then the BVI Government has been working with the financial services industry to develop proposals which led to the Statement made by the Premier in the House of Assembly on 3 November on changes to the BVI Business Companies Act and Anti Money Laundering legislation. We will continue to work with the BVI authorities so that the changes to their systems meet the three criteria that the Government has set out.

British Virgin Islands: Companies

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the steps taken by the British Virgin Islands to meet the Prime Minister's ambition for a public register of beneficial ownership since June 2013.

James Duddridge: In March the Financial Secretary to the Treasury and I wrote to the Premier of the British Virgin Islands asking him to set out plans and a timetable for the implementation of a central register of company beneficial ownership, or similarly effective system, ahead of the Joint Ministerial Council. The letter included three criteria we expect BVI to meet.

India: Elephants

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise with the Prime Minister of India during his forthcoming visit the welfare of elephants being trained to work in the tourism industry in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire: We are aware of reports that elephants in use in the tourist industry in India have been captured as calves and then beaten and mistreated. This practice is illegal in India. UK officials have had discussions on this issue with Save The Asian Elephant (STAE).The UK is committed to conserving Asian elephants and recognises the growing threats to their populations, including from the cross-border, illegal trade in live animals to feed the demand by the tourist and entertainment industries. The UK has been working internationally through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in discussion with elephant range states, including India, to increase protection for Asian elephants. We secured agreement in 2014 for elephant range states to put in place measures to prevent illegal trade in live elephants.We are very much looking forward to Indian Prime Minister Modi’s visit, which gives us an opportunity to discuss a range of issues. We will continue to work together with the Indian authorities, as well as STAE and other non-governmental organisation, on protecting elephants.

Moussa Koussa: Prerogative of Mercy

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Royal Prerogative of Mercy has been granted to Moussa Koussa; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Royal Prerogative of Mercy can only be exercised following a conviction. Moussa Koussa has never been convicted of any offence in the UK, therefore the question of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy has never arisen.

Moussa Koussa

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether Moussa Koussa's arrival in the UK by aeroplane at Farnborough in March 2011 was by prior agreement with the UK Government; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Moussa Koussa flew to the UK from Tunisia of his own volition, having notified our authorities shortly before his departure of his intention to travel here.

Moussa Koussa

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what evidence the Government holds of involvement in the Lockerbie bombing of Moussa Koussa; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie remains the subject of an open investigation led by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (the Scottish Prosecution Service) and the Police Service of Scotland. The details of that investigation are a matter for those authorities.Helping the police take forward their investigation is a priority. We continue to provide them whatever support we can. However, the worsening of the security and political situation in Libya has practically stalled effective engagement. Scottish investigators will continue to develop the elements of their investigation that do not require them to travel to Libya. Once stability returns efforts will be made at the earliest and safe opportunity to re-commence the co-operation.

Libya: Terrorism

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when Jonathan Dart commenced his duties as head of the Libyan Reconciliation Unit; when lawyers representing victims of terrorist attacks committed using Semtex supplied by Libya were advised of his appointment; on what dates Mr Dart met those lawyers (a) first and (b) subsequently; and what other contact Mr Dart has had with those lawyers.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Jonathan Dart commenced his duties in December 2014. There was no official announcement or notification. Mr. Dart continues to engage widely with victims and victims’ representatives.

Moussa Koussa

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what contact there has been between Government officials and Moussa Koussa since his departure from the UK in 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: There has been no contact between Government officials and Moussa Koussa since his departure from the UK in 2011.

Libya: Diplomatic Relations

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which (a) retired civil servants and (b) former Ministers travelled to Libya at public expense between 2002 and October 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Between 2002 and October 2011 the Government funded visits to Libya for current officials and Ministers as part of regular diplomatic relations.No retired civil servants or former ministers visited Libya at public expense

Libya: Diplomatic Relations

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which (a) retired civil servants and (b) former Ministers have travelled to Libya at public expense since October 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Since 2011, the Government has funded visits to Libya by current officials and Ministers as part of regular diplomatic relations. In addition, in periods when the security situation in Libya permitted it, a number of visits to Libya, including by Jonathan Powell the Prime Minister’s Envoy to Libya, have been funded by HMG.No retired civil servants or former ministers have visited Libya at public expense.

Moussa Koussa

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what was discussed at the meeting between Sir John Scarlett and Moussa Koussa in the UK in 2001.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: It has been the policy of successive governments not to comment on meetings involving intelligence officials.

Moussa Koussa

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) ex gratia and (b) other payments were made to Moussa Koussa by the UK Government in 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Moussa Koussa has received no payments from HMG.

Moussa Koussa

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what costs relating to the relocation of Moussa Koussa to Qatar in 2011 were met by the UK Government; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Mr Koussa's entry into Doha was a matter for him and the Qatari authorities.No elements of Moussa Koussa's travel to Qatar were paid for by the UK Government.

Burma: Rohingya

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will support the establishment of a full, international, independent investigation by the UN into claims of genocide against the Rohingya in Burma.

Mr Hugo Swire: The UK deplores the treatment of the Rohingya community in Rakhine State, who are subject to persecution and denied the most basic rights. We welcome the work of the highly effective UN Special Rapporteur on Burma, who has shone a spotlight on violations against the Rohingya in Rakhine. She has not characterised the treatment of the Rohingya as genocide, and neither did the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide in his 4 November statement on Burma’s elections. However, any judgement on whether genocide has occurred is a matter for international judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. A UN investigation would require high level international support for which, we assess, there is little prospect of agreement at this stage. Our approach is to seek an end to all violations, irrespective of whether or not they fit the definition of specific international crimes. I and other British Government Ministers take every appropriate opportunity, both publicly and in private, to press the Burmese authorities to take urgent steps to address the situation of the Rohingya. I did this with senior Burmese Ministers during my visit to Burma in July, when I travelled to Rakhine State for the second time. Most recently, I raised the issue with the Burmese Foreign Minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, in September in New York. After the 8 November elections, the UK will continue our efforts to address the serious ongoing human rights violations against the Rohingya in Rakhine State.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent contact the Government has had with the Free Syrian Army.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: On 4 November, the Foreign Secretary and I met Khaled Khoja, President of the Syrian National Coalition, and Osama Abu Zayd, Spokesperson for the Free Syrian Army. The meeting was an opportunity to hear firsthand about the situation on the ground inside Syria, as well as to underline to President Khoja and his delegation the British Government’s commitment to supporting the moderate Syrian opposition in pursuit of a political solution to the conflict in Syria.

Companies: Ownership

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2015 to Question 5430, whether similarly effective systems for central registries of beneficial ownership in the Overseas Territories includes legitimate public access in line with the Fourth EU Anti Money Laundering Directive.

Mr Hugo Swire: I refer the Right Honourable Lady to my Hon Friend, the Member for South West Hertfordshire (David Gauke MP), the Financial Secretary to the Treasury to his answers of 16 October 2015(PQ10437, PQ10438 and PQ10448), which set out the criteria we expect the Overseas Territories to meet in relation to their central register of company beneficial ownership, or similarly effective system.

Egypt: Human Rights

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Egypt.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office published its annual Human Rights and Democracy Report on 12 March 2015, which provides an assessment of the situation in Egypt, and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/country-case-study-egypt

India: Religious Freedom

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Indian government on its steps to hold to account and prosecute state officials and other people who violate the safeguard for religious freedom in that country's constitution.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Constitution of India guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion. The Indian government has a range of policies and programmes to support religious minorities.I welcome Prime Minister Modi’s commitment to be the "servant of all Indians". He has clearly reaffirmed his commitment to the Constitution and “the undeniable right to retain or adopt the religion of his or her choice without coercion or undue influence”. Should any individual break the law in India, it is a matter for the Indian law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute.The High Commission in New Delhi also maintains regular contact with the union and state government, civil society organisations and senior faith leaders working on religious freedom across India.

China: Christianity

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government had with the Chinese government during the state visit to London in October 2015 on reducing restrictions on the Christian minority in China.

Mr Hugo Swire: Religious freedom was not raised during the recent State Visit. However, the Prime Minister my Right Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) was very clear during his wide-ranging discussions with President Xi Jinping of the importance that the UK attaches to human rights as part of our wider relationship with China.We believe that freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental human right. I therefore remain concerned by the restrictions placed on Christianity in China. We are aware of reports of the closure or demolition of churches, the removal of crosses from buildings, and that individuals are being harassed or detained for their beliefs.We raise the range of our human rights concerns directly with China. We do so during the annual UK-China Human Rights Dialogue, most recently in April 2015. We also highlight them publicly in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy (www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk). We will continue to pursue our concerns both privately and in public fora.

Kenya: Terrorism

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Kenyan counterpart on steps to control terrorism in the last 12 months.

James Duddridge: Co-operation on security and counter-terrorism is an important part of our bilateral relationship with Kenya. The Prime Minister discussed the subject with President Kenyatta during their meeting in the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York on 28 September. The Foreign Secretary also discussed the issue with the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Amina Mohamed in the margins of the same event, where they signed a bilateral Security Compact aimed at enhancing our security cooperation. We continue to work closely with the Kenyan security agencies to counter the shared threat of terrorism. This includes working with Kenya to strengthen its borders, as well as in providing assistance on investigating and prosecuting terrorists in line with international human rights standards.

Burma: Rohingya

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will support a UN Inquiry into human violations against the Rohingya.

Mr Hugo Swire: The UK deplores the treatment of the Rohingya community in Rakhine State, who are subject to persecution and denied the most basic rights. We welcome the work of the highly effective UN Special Rapporteur on Burma, who has shone a spotlight on violations against the Rohingya in Rakhine. She has not characterised the treatment of the Rohingya as genocide, and neither did the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide in his 4 November statement on Burma’s elections. However, any judgement on whether genocide has occurred is a matter for international judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. A UN investigation would require high level international support for which, we assess, there is little prospect of agreement at this stage. Our approach is to seek an end to all violations, irrespective of whether or not they fit the definition of specific international crimes. I and other British Government Ministers take every appropriate opportunity, both publicly and in private, to press the Burmese authorities to take urgent steps to address the situation of the Rohingya. I did this with senior Burmese Ministers during my visit to Burma in July, when I travelled to Rakhine State for the second time. Most recently, I raised the issue with the Burmese Foreign Minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, in September in New York. After the 8 November elections, the UK will continue our efforts to address the serious ongoing human rights violations against the Rohingya in Rakhine State.

Burma: Sexual Offences

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received on incidents of sexual violence committed by the Burmese army; and what representations he has made to the Burmese government on that matter.

Mr Philip Hammond: Holding answer received on 10 November 2015



We recognise that sexual violence in Burma remains a significant problem and are focused on practical action to tackle it. This includes pressing the Burmese government to live up to the commitments it made when it endorsed the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict at the London Global Summit in June 2014During his visit to Burma in July, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right Hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), pressed the Burmese government at Senior Ministerial level on the issue and launched the International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence. We continue to press the agenda in international fora, including through UN resolutions on Burma at the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council, which we co-sponsor. At Friday’s Universal Periodic Review of Burma at the UN in Geneva, we focused our recommendations on ending sexual violence and the rights of women and girls, as well as on tackling the desperate situation in Rakhine State for the Rohingya community.

Burma: Elections

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of reported irregularities in the run-up to the Burmese election.

Mr Philip Hammond: Holding answer received on 10 November 2015



There were a number of reported flaws and irregularities in Burma's elections, such as in the voter list arrangements for observing advance voting and the use of religion in the campaign. We are deeply disappointed that holders of Temporary Residence Cards (of which the Rohingya form the largest single bloc) were disenfranchised from the elections by having their identity documents revoked. Nevertheless, the main opposition parties chose to take part in the elections despite these flaws and irregularities. The UK provided practical assistance to mitigate against the risks we have identified, including £2.6m to provide specialist technical advice to the Union Election Commission. British nationals have also been taking part in the EU Election Observation Mission and we funded the training of 5,000 local observers to deter fraud on the day. It is too early to make a definitive assessment of the technical conduct of the elections, but the initial finding of the EU Election Observation Mission was that they were "well-run and competitive", though with "legal reforms and procedural improvements" remaining. Overall, we continue to judge that the election represents the best chance of democracy the people of Burma have had for over 50 years.

Women's League of Burma

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government is providing to the Women's League of Burma.

Mr Philip Hammond: Holding answer received on 10 November 2015



Officials at the British Embassy in Rangoon regularly meet representatives of the Women’s League of Burma and its member groups of civil society organisations. The UK has also provided occasional funding support to the Women’s League of Burma, including towards the publication of some of their research. Representatives from the Women’s League of Burma attended the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in June 2014 at our invitation, and the UK assisted with the cost of that visit.

Syria: Military Intervention

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Russian counterpart on recent Russian military action in Syria.

Mr Philip Hammond: Holding answer received on 10 November 2015



I met the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, in the margins of the Syria talks in Vienna in October 2015. In addition, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has made numerous representations to the Russian Government regarding military operations in Syria.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which regulations his Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015 to date; which regulations his Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2016 and (ii) 2017; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Mr David Lidington: Details of all EU-derived legislation on the statute book in the UK at the present time can be found on legislation.gov.uk. Information on EU legislation in 2016/2017 is not available. Information on the cost of regulations is not available and to collate would incur disproportionate costs.

Cabinet Office

Conditions of Employment: Lancaster and Fleetwood

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people are employed on zero-hours contracts in their main employment in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Zero Hour Contracts
(PDF Document, 197.52 KB)

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Employment: Young People

Phil Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the finding of the Equality and Human Rights Commission in its report, Is Britain Fairer, published in October 2015, that up to 2013 there was a decline in both earnings and full-time employment for younger workers, despite them being more likely to be better qualified than previous generations.

Nick Boles: Since 2013 employment has risen by over a million people and the UK’s employment rate is at a record high. The Government is creating employment opportunities for all age groups. Since the first quarter of 2010, youth unemployment has fallen and 229,000 more young people are in employment.Skills remain important for delivering better employment outcomes for younger workers. The lifetime benefits to apprentices are between £48,000 and £74,000 for Level 2 and between £77,000 and £117,000 for Level 3 Apprenticeships. The average graduate of higher education will earn over £100,000 more over their lifetime than a similar individual who completed their education with 2 or more A levels. The Government is therefore ensuring further and higher education providers are more responsive to the needs of employers, and that young people get the rights skills for the job market.

Guide Dogs: Training

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to investigate companies which sell improperly trained dogs as special guide dogs for disabled children.

Nick Boles: The Department has no plans to investigate companies which sell improperly trained dogs for disabled children. However, where consumers believe a company is giving misleading information or is in breach of legislation regarding sales to consumers, they should contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 08454 04 05 06 (www.adviceguide.org.uk). The helpline offers a free service advising consumers on their rights and passes on details of complaints to Trading Standards Services where appropriate for further enforcement action.

Iron and Steel: Redundancy

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs lost in the steel industry in 2015 to date; what estimate it has made of how many jobs in that industry will be lost in 2016; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of Government support packages to help people who have lost or are likely to lose their jobs in that industry.

Anna Soubry: Statistics from the Iron and Steel Statistics Bureau show that between 1997 to 2010, 16,300 jobs were lost in the UK steel industry.These statistics also show in the last parliament, UK steel jobs remained stable at 18,900.In 2015, 2,100 direct jobs were lost as a result of the closure of the SSI plant at Redcar on 12th October 2015. On 30th October 2015, 452 immediate redundancies were announced by the Caparo Group. In addition since 16th July Tata Steel has announced proposals for up to 1,920 job losses across its Long Products and Speciality and Bar businesses subject to consultation and business review.We have not made any estimate of how many jobs will be lost in the steel industry in 2016.The Government is committed to supporting those made redundant move quickly into new jobs, for example through Jobcentre Plus’ Rapid Response Service. In addition, in view of the exceptional circumstances surrounding SSI’s closure in Redcar, Government announced a support package, worth up to £80 million, to help those affected and invest in the future of the Tees Valley more broadly. We have also committed up to £9m, jointly with Tata, to support Scunthorpe steel workers and the local economy. In both cases, we are working closely with local Task Forces to deliver support that will have the greatest long-term impact.

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which regulations her Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015 to date; which regulations her Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2016 and (ii) 2017; and what estimate she has made of the cost of such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Mr Desmond Swayne: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise.

Department for Education

Teachers: Self-Employed

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to (a) regulate freelance tutors and (b) ensure that such tutors have an enhanced DBS check in order to safeguard children.

Edward Timpson: It is the responsibility of any school or parent to assure themselves that they are entirely satisfied as to the suitability of any freelance tutor they might choose to employ before they engage them. Private tutors have several options open to them to enable them to obtain appropriate checks in order to provide employers with the assurances they might need. For example, employment agencies are required to process DBS checks for all tutors working with children.It is of course a serious criminal offence to seek to work with children in regulated activity after having been barred from doing so.

Teachers: Physical Education

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to (a) regulate freelance sports coaches (b) ensure that such coaches have an enhanced DBS check in order to safeguard children.

Edward Timpson: It is the responsibility of a parent to assure themselves that they are entirely satisfied as to the suitability of any freelance coach they might choose to employ before they engage them. Private tutors and coaches have several options open to them to enable them to obtain appropriate checks in order to provide employers with the assurances they might need. For example, employment agencies are required to process DBS checks for all tutors working with childrenIt is of course a serious criminal offence to seek to work with children in regulated activity after having been barred from doing so.

Primary Education: Assessments

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason it is her policy that scores attained through the Reception Assessment baseline will not be scaled for age; if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policy of the findings of research published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in October 2013 on the academic performance in school of pupils born later in the academic year; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The reception baseline provides a score for each child, at the start of reception, which reflects their actual attainment at that point in time. The reception baseline outcome will be used as the basis for an accountability measure of the relative progress of the school’s cohort throughout primary school. If the results were to be scaled to a pupil’s age it would not be a true reflection of the pupil’s attainment at the start of school. For pupils born later in the academic year, scaling the score by age would disadvantage the school as it would result in a higher baseline from which the pupil’s progress would be measured.Reception baseline criteria is published online at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/415142/Baseline_criteria.pdf

Primary Education: Assessments

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason the qualifying threshold for baseline assessment providers was set at 10 per cent of primary schools.

Nick Gibb: The reception baseline contracts contained a number of criteria for approving suppliers.The 10 per cent threshold was set to ensure a statistically reliable sample size for each supplier when determining the relative progress measure for each pupil.

Primary Education: Assessments

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of primary schools signed up to (a) Centre for Education and Monitoring, Durham University, (b) Early Excellence, (c) GL Assessment, (d) Hodder Education, (e) National Foundation for Educational Research and (f) Speech Link as baseline assessment providers by 30 April 2015; and which schemes were subsequently approved by her Department.

Nick Gibb: A full break down of suppliers which were removed from the approved list has not been provided because of potential commercial sensitivities for the suppliers.

Primary Education: Assessments

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department examined international comparators when developing the policy of a reception baseline assessment; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: There are several examples, internationally, of children having some form of assessment when they start school. This helps teachers to assess where extra support is needed.The reception baseline assessment will formally recognise the progress that schools make with children throughout the primary years.

Education: Northern Ireland

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with her counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive on the need for that Executive to help increase shared and integrated education.

Nick Gibb: At this time, no such discussions have taken place.The International Education Division leads the relationship with the devolved administrations and is currently developing a Devolution Plan that will outline the steps that we as a Department will take to improve our collaboration with the devolved administrations.

Department for Education: Freedom of Information

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what average time her Department took to respond to freedom of information requests in each year since 2005.

Nick Gibb: The government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within central government, including statistics on timeliness. These can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics

Department for Education: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which regulations her Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015 to date; which regulations her Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2016 and (ii) 2017; and what estimate she has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Nick Gibb: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to Parliamentary Question 15037 on 11 November 2015.

Teachers

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of additional teachers that will be needed to accommodate the predicted population rise over the next 25 years; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education uses the Teacher Supply Model (TSM) to estimate the demand for qualified teachers in active service within state-funded schools in England each year using a range of assumptions including projections for the numbers of pupils in schools. The TSM then estimates the number of postgraduate Initial Teacher Training (ITT) places required in England to meet this demand, given the number of entrants expected through routes other than the Newly Qualified Teacher route; for example through returning to teaching.The TSM estimates the number of postgraduate training places required one year in advance and is updated each year to take account of the most up-to-date data – for example, the population projections published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) - which means our estimates change each year. As with any long-term forecast, the further into the future the forecast the more uncertain the estimates become. For this reason, the department does not produce 25 year forecasts of teacher demand. The forecast period of the current TSM provides the department with estimates of the broad trend in likely future demand for teachers which is sufficient for our policy development needs.The 2016/17 version of the TSM, which was used to inform the 2016/17 ITT recruitment process, along with a user guide explaining the methodology in detail, is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-supply-model.

Health Education: Children

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to improve health literacy among children; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Schools have a key role to play in teaching children about healthy lifestyles.The new national curriculum set the expectation that pupils are taught about the importance of leading healthy and active lives, across a variety of subjects. The new design and technology curriculum strengthens requirements for maintained schools to teach children about food, nutrition and healthy eating, and how to cook a repertoire of meals. Pupils in maintained primary schools should learn about healthy eating and a good, balanced diet. In maintained secondary schools, food education is now compulsory in years 7–9 for the first time. The new science curriculum makes young people aware of different types of diseases and the impact of lifestyle factors on the incidence of some diseases.Physical Education is a compulsory subject at all four key stages in the national curriculum in maintained schools. The programme of study makes clear that a high-quality PE curriculum should provide opportunities for pupils to become physically active in a way which supports their health and fitness.In addition, the Department is actively engaged in work across government to develop a national childhood obesity strategy.

Ministry of Justice

Young Offenders: Prisoners' Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many young people aged between 18 and 20 are on the (a) enhanced, (b) standard, (c) basic and (d) entry level of the incentive and earned privileges scheme at (i) HMP/YOI Moorland, (ii) HMYOI Aylesbury, (iii) HMYOI Swinfen Hall, (iv) HMP/YOI Portland and (v) HMP/YOI Parc.

Andrew Selous: Data on Incentives and Earned Privilege (IEP) levels is published as the average number of prisoners at each level in the NOMS Annual Report Management Information Addendum at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-and-probation-performance-statistics-2014-to-2015.On 31 March 2015, the end point for the most recently published data available on IEP levels, the numbers for young people aged 18 – 20 were as follows:IEP LevelEstablishment NameBasicStandardEnhancedEntryAylesbury4919352~Moorland11369~Swinfen Hall2915778~Portland1113015~Parc1210514~These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.~ denotes figures of 5 or fewer, suppressed in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Telecommunications

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to reform the Electronic Communications Code following the closure of the consultation on 30 April 2015.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government remains committed to delivering a reformed Electronic Communications Code that is clear, fit for purpose, and supports a UK network that provides consumers with a choice of high quality telecommunications services.

Cultural Heritage: Children

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to improve access for children in rural areas to high-quality cultural and historical exhibits.

Mr Edward Vaizey: This Government is ensuring that all children have the opportunity to experience a broad selection of art and cultural activities regardless of where they live or go to school. Since 2012, the Government has invested over £460 million in music and cultural education programmes. In addition, publicly funded arts organisations across the country run excellent education programmes to help children experience the arts, including the Arts Council's Cultural Education Challenge, which encourages the local cultural education partnerships. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport also funds the Heritage Schools Programme to help schools across the country make use of their local historic environment.

Broadband: Bristol West

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department has taken to improve the broadband speed in the Bristol West area.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Over 1,450 businesses in Bristol and the surrounding area have taken a broadband connection voucher to improve their broadband connectivity. In addition, through the Super Connected Cities Programme, my Department has provided £1.56m to Bristol City Council to install general purpose ducting which will provide broadband connectivity to businesses in the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone. This funding has also enabled over 70km of ducting to be made available to two commercial suppliers to provide ultra-fast broadband across the city.

Mass Media: Citizenship

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will assess the potential merits of arms-length funding to support community journalism and independent news start-ups to promote informed citizenship.

Mr Edward Vaizey: This Government believes local media has a vital role to play in local communities and in local democracy.There are no current plans for a Government investigation into the merits of arms-length funding for community journalism, but we would welcome evidence from the sector to support this.

Mass Media: Competition

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when Ofcom plans to publish its report on measuring frameworks for media plurality.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Ofcom published its report on a framework for media plurality on 5th November.

Mass Media

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how the Government plans to implement Lord Leveson's recommendation that regulatory authorities should be able to impose structural remedies and remedies which will change behaviour which can relate, if appropriate, to editorial independence and journalistic standards.

Mr Edward Vaizey: In response to Lord Leveson's recommendations on media plurality we asked Ofcom to consider how we measure media plurality in the UK. Ofcom published a framework for measurement on the 5th November. We will need to consider that framework and how we make a baseline assessment before we consider any further work in this area.

Broadband: East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the proportion of households in East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow constituency that have access to superfast broadband.

Mr Edward Vaizey: UK Government has allocated £122 million for the two Scottish SuperfastBroadbandprojects, which focus on areas where commercial coverage does not exist or is not planned.DCMS estimates that commercial coverage will provide superfast broadband availability to 83% of premises inEast Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow, and theDigital Scotland Superfast Broadband Programme will add a further 12% premises to the commercial coverage following completion of the first phase of the project.In addition the Government is supporting seven pilot projects to explore options for delivering superfast broadband services to the hardest to reach parts of the UK.

Data Protection

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proposals for changes to legislation he plans to make concerning the buying and selling of consumers' personal data.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has received from (a) businesses, (b) regulators and (c) the public on the terms and conditions of the sale of products and services that concern consumers' personal and private data.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that consumers' personal and private data is not gathered, bought and sold by third parties.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) is administered and enforced independently of Government by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO has published guidance on the buying and selling of personal data and the safeguards available to individuals. This can be found at:https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/business/The Government has regular discussion with key stakeholders, including regulators and businesses to discuss matters relating to the protection of personal data.The Government keepsthe powers of the Information Commissioner under continual review, so that they remainsufficient to deal with the most serious breaches of the DPA.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Freedom of Information

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what average time his Department took to respond to freedom of information requests in each year since 2005.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within central government, including on timeliness. Information on the Department for Culture Media & Sport statistics and can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics

Ofcom: Staff

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the FTE equivalent headcount figures are for Ofcom for each year for which data is available since 2009.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The information requested has been provided by Ofcom and is set out in the following table: YearFTE Headcount200985320108732011720*2012778**201377820147902015783* Reduction due to Ofcom’s comprehensive expenditure review** Includes transfer of 48 roles due to integration of postal service regulation

Gaming Machines

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will introduce for the rest of the UK equivalent powers as those proposed in the Scotland Bill on fixed odds betting terminals.

Tracey Crouch: The Scotland Bill would give the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Ministers the power to vary the number of sub-category B2 gaming machines (FOBTs) permitted by new betting premises licences. The UK Government would retain the equivalent powers on FOBTs for the rest of the UK, except for Northern Ireland where gambling is a devolved matter.In line with our commitment in the St David's Day Agreement, the UK Government is giving careful consideration to whethernon-fiscal recommendations from Lord Smith's commission on devolving powers should be implemented for Wales.

Department for Work and Pensions

State Retirement Pensions

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency who are aged (i) 60, (ii) 61, (iii) 62, (iv) 63, (v) 64, (vi) 65, (vii) 66, and (viii) 67 are in receipt of the state pension in the 2015-16  financial year.

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many men in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency who are aged (i) 60, (ii) 61, (iii) 62, (iv) 63, (v) 64, (vi) 65, (vii) 66, and (viii) 67 are in receipt of the state pension in the 2015-16 financial year.

Justin Tomlinson: The requested information as at February 2015 is within the table below:GenderAgeGBScotlandGlasgow Local AuthorityGlasgow East Parliamentary ConstituencyFemale60----61----62166,40015,0001,40030063330,70029,2002,50040064348,20030,1002,50050065363,80031,0002,60050066380,20031,6002,60040067417,50034,3002,800500Male60----61----62----63----64----65316,30026,9002,30040066349,80029,2002,40040067389,60031,5002,600400“-“ indicates less than 100Source:DWP 100% WPLSNotes:1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Totals may not sum due to rounding.

Carer's Allowance

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost of providing carer's allowance was to people in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Justin Tomlinson: Due to the geographical level of information requested it has been assumed that the question refers to benefit expenditure.The information on requested is shown in the table below.Tables show expenditure for Great Britain, not the UK, as expenditure in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of Northern Ireland Executive.Carers Allowance Expenditure £ million2014/15Great Britain2,319.2Scotland202.7Glasgow (City)34.5Glasgow East (constituency)6.5Benefit expenditure information is published and can be found using the following URL:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2015

State Retirement Pensions: Expenditure

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimates he has made of expenditure on the state pension for people in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Justin Tomlinson: Due to the geographical level of information requested it has been assumed that the question refers to benefit expenditure.The information on requested is shown in the table below.Tables show expenditure for Great Britain, not the UK, as expenditure in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of Northern Ireland Executive.State Pension Expenditure £ million2014/15Great Britain86,515.8Scotland7,323.8Glasgow (City)615.4Glasgow East (constituency)104.5Benefit expenditure information is published and can be found using the following URL:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2015

State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners who were living in countries where their pensions were frozen have moved back to the UK in each year since 2009.

Justin Tomlinson: The requested information is within the table below. This shows the numbers of pensioners who had been overseas and receiving a non-uprated pension who have returned to the UK during the year and were no longer having their pension non-uprated:YearNumbers previously overseas resident with non-uprated pension who lived in the UK one year later20092,00020103,00020113,00020123,00020132,00020142,000Source:DWP 100% WPLSNotes:1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000. 2. The period referenced in the table is from 1st March to the following last day in February.

Universal Credit: Lone Parents

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Universal Credit (Work Allowance) Amendment Regulations 2015 (S.I., 2015, No. 1649) on work incentives for single parents in receipt of universal credit.

Priti Patel: Universal Credit (UC) has been designed to reduce poverty and ensure work pays. Once fully rolled out, up to 300,000 more people are likely to be in work as a result of the introduction of UC. The Government is also providing additional support for families by increasing childcare funding within UC from 70% to 85% of eligible costs, the introduction of Tax Free Childcare and the extension of free early years childcare for working parents from 15 hours to 30 hours.

Universal Credit

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of households that will move into work as a result of moving onto universal credit by 2020.

Priti Patel: Once fully rolled-out, up to 300,000 more people are likely to be in work as a result of Universal Credit (UC).Evidence from “Universal Credit at Work Spring 2015” show claimants are more likely to be in work, spend more time in work, and earn more than their counterparts on Jobseekers Allowance.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/405921/uc-at-work-spring-2015.pdf

Employment Schemes: Disability

Keir Starmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to fund additional support for disabled people who might require assistance to fill in job applications and to attend job interviews.

Justin Tomlinson: DWP already provides a range of support for people who require assistance to fill in job applications and to attend job interviews.Programmes such as Work Choice, Work Programme and the new Specialist Employability Support offer tailored support for any participants who need help with their jobseeking. This may include help with activities such as filling in job applications and attending job interviews. Access to Work can provide practical support for people who need help with attending interviews due to a health condition or disability.Jobcentre Plus continues to offer a range of support, including a free helpline for claimants who have difficulty making their claims for benefit online because of dyslexia or a similar conditions, and Claimant Computer Suites manned by Jobcentre Plus Customer Service staff. In addition, a Jobcentre Plus Work Coach, or where appropriate, a Disability Employment Adviser (DEA), can signpost claimants to local sources of support such as Work Clubs, third sector organisations or the National Careers Service.The Department is constantly seeking ways to improve these services, but at present there are no plans to fund additional support nationally. However, the support we provide nationally both complements, and is complemented by, our engagement with support provided locally by stakeholders such as third sector organisations, local councils, Work Clubs and other partners.We are also exploring innovative new ways to deliver support. For example, the Personalisation Pathfinders project running in three Jobcentre Plus Districts, which will test a new localised approach to helping people with Disabilities and long term health conditions.

Universal Credit

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many social housing providers in the four pathfinder areas for universal credit have applied for trusted partner status to allow for direct payment of the housing costs element in certain circumstances.

Justin Tomlinson: The first phase of the ‘Trusted Partner’ pilot started on Monday 28th September with 6 landlords all of whom are located within the Pathfinder areas.

Universal Credit

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average number of hours of childcare was for which claimants in receipt of the childcare element of universal credit made a claim for reimbursement of their costs in the most recent month for which figures are available.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of households in receipt of universal credit qualify for (a) free school meals and (b) free NHS prescriptions; and how many such qualifying households are in receipt of those benefits.

Priti Patel: The information requested is not available.

Pensions

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) men and (b) women were affected by the changes made in the Pension Act 2011.

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact assessment his Department carried out on women directly affected by the Pension Act 2011 before those changes came into effect.

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average change in income for a woman born in 1952 is as a result of the provisions of the Pension Act 2011.

Justin Tomlinson: Estimates of the number (a) men and (b) women affected by the changes made to State Pension age are presented in Table 5 of the Pensions Act 2011 Impact Assessment, published in November 2011, available athttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/181462/pensions-bill-2011-ia-annexa.pdfThis shows that an estimated 2.34 million men and 2.64 million women would have an increase in the State Pension age under the Pensions Act 2011 compared to the legislated position prior to the passing of the Pensions Act 2011.The Impact Assessment examines the fiscal costs and benefits of increasing women’s State Pension age from 63 to 65 between April 2016 to November 2018; and increasing men’s and women’s State Pension age from 65 to 66 between December 2018 and October 2020. A Gender Impact assessment is provided in the Annex of the Pensions Act 2011 Impact Assessment.Women born in 1952 were not affected by the changes to State Pension age in the Pensions Act 2011.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Slaughterhouses: CCTV

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of slaughterhouses have CCTV.

George Eustice: The latest estimates from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are that 57% of red meat slaughterhouses and 69% of white meat slaughterhouses have some form of CCTV in use for animal welfare purposes. FSA estimate that 94% of cattle, 96% of pigs, 90% of sheep and 99% of poultry throughput now comes from premises with CCTV.

Home Office

Immigration Controls: Criminal Records

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will take steps to ensure that it is aware of the criminal histories of all people admitted into the UK.

James Brokenshire: The UK has detailed arrangements in place to identify people of concern seeking to enter the country. All passengers are checked against police, security and immigration watchlists and where we are aware of individuals who pose a risk, Border Force officers can – and do - refuse them entry.The onus for flagging a threat lies with the authorities in their home country and the UK is leading the way in Europe on improving the exchange of information in cases involving dangerous criminals. In April the UK connected to the second generation Schengen Information System (SISII), this provides us with real time information about all those individuals wanted under a European Arrest Warrant so that they can be stopped at the border.Since 2010, checks on foreign nationals going through the UK criminal justice system have increased by more than 1,500 per cent, helping ensure more foreign criminals are taken off our streets and making our communities safer.In September, we introduced a new requirement for Tier 1 investor and entrepreneur applicants to supply an overseas criminal record certificate covering the last 10 years as part of their application.

Radicalism: Social Networking

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to prevent jihadists recruiting young people through social media sites.

Mr John Hayes: Extremist and terrorist organisations such as ISIL are using the internet to disseminate propaganda and recruit individuals to their groups or to support their aims. Despite the vast majority of British Muslims wanting nothing to do with ISIL, some vulnerable individuals, including young people, are being misled by ISIL’s damaging propaganda through its use of social media sites.We are therefore working with responsible social media companies to take robust action against terrorist material. Since 2010, over 110,000 pieces of terrorist-related material have been removed at the request of the dedicated Counter-Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU). We are pressing social media companies to take stronger, faster and further action to combat the use of their services by terrorist and extremist groups. We want to see a zero tolerance approach to terrorist activity on their networks. We are also working in partnership with civil society organisations prepared to confront the extremist narratives online, increasing their confidence and capability to challenge extremist content effectively and to provide credible alternatives.We have seen an increase in the pace and scale of terrorist communications by groups such as ISIL, encouraging vulnerable young people to travel to conflict zones like Syria and Iraq. Therefore, it is essential that we equip young people with an awareness of the dangers of terrorist and extremist propaganda and the skills they need to protect themselves from it. The Home Office funds local projects that encourage young people to think critically about potentially harmful or extremist views presented on the internet through addressing all forms of radicalisation.The Prevent statutory duty introduced this year places an obligation on specified authorities to have due regard to preventing people from being drawn into terrorism. This includes, where relevant, having policies in place relating to the use of IT equipment and considering whether IT equipment should use filtering solutions that limit access to terrorist and extremist material. The Channel programme, which is part of the Prevent duty, is a multi-agency process designed to stop people being drawn into terrorism or terrorist related activity. People identified as being at risk of radicalisation from any source, including online radicalisation, are offered tailored support to address their vulnerability. This support often involves specialist intervention providers who understand the ideology of terrorism and extremism and will seek to steer the vulnerable people away from it.

Animal Experiments

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what procedures her Department has in place to assess at the conclusion of any animal experiment whether the severity level expected by researchers before the experiment corresponded to what the actual severity level was.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 09 November 2015



The Home Office has published detailed guidance (see: Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986), which describes the requirements the Home Office places on researchers in the assessment of retrospective severity. At the end of a series of regulated procedures the project licence holder is required to classify the actual severity of the series of procedures carried out using observations taken from the animals during day-to-day monitoring. This information has to be reported to the Home Office annually, and at the conclusion of a programme of work, and following implementation of 2010/63 EU was published for the first time in the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2014.Where appropriate, Home Office Inspectors cross-check and assess these records against the severity categories set out in project licences.All project licences using non-human primates, cats, dogs and equidae, all those involving procedures classified as severe as well as those for education and training purposes or using endangered animals, are also required to be assessed retrospectively. In such cases, the Secretary of State requires an establishment’s Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body to conduct the retrospective assessment, which has to be submitted to the Home Office within three months in order that an inspector can complete the assessment on behalf of the Secretary of State.

Crime

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been referred by the National Crime Agency to regional police forces in (a) 2014 and (b) so far in 2015; and how many of those people are under suspicion of involvement in crimes of child abuse.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 10 November 2015



The National Crime Agency does not collect data on the number of people referred to police forces. In respect of child abuse, the NCA disseminates information related to child sexual exploitation to law enforcement partners on a regular basis.

Drugs: Misuse

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of recent trends in the use of legal highs.

Mike Penning: The 2014 report of the New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) Review Expert Panel concluded that “after years of stable and declining drug use, the emergence of NPS has been a ‘game changer’”. An accompanying report (New Psychoactive Substances in England: A review of the evidence) used data from the Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW) to examine the prevalence of use of NPS. It indicated that mephedrone was the most prevalent NPS, though use among adults aged 16-59 had fallen from 1.3% in 2010/11 to 0.6% in 2013/14 (use of mephedrone stood at 0.5% in 2014/15). Mephedrone was controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in April 2010. According to the 2014/15 CSEW, 0.9% of people aged 16-59 used an NPS in the last year. This was the first year that the CSEW collected data on the use of NPS generally (as opposed to specific substances).The Psychoactive Substances Bill currently before Parliament introduces a blanket ban on the trade in psychoactive substances. The Bill will confer significant new powers on the police and other law enforcement agencies to restrict the supply of psychoactive substances.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which regulations his Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015 to date; which regulations his Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2016 and (ii) 2017; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Mr Julian Brazier: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my my right hon. Friend the Minister for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise (Anna Soubry) on11 November 2015 to Question 15037.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what account his Department plans to take of the closure of steel plants in 2015 in the strategic defence and security review process.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Strategic Defence and Security Review will be a comprehensive review of our defence and security capabilities.Separately, the Cabinet Office are leading a cross-Government Steel Procurement Working Group on which the Ministry of Defence is represented. The Government has published new guidelines for Departments to apply to major projects when sourcing and buying steel directly. Departments will be encouraged to take into account social impacts of competing suppliers when placing contracts directly.

HM Treasury

Welfare Tax Credits

Graham Jones: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2015 to Question 12045, on tax credits, if he will publish that data in the form in which it is available.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs is now able to provide the data in the format requested.The table below shows the number of mandatory reconsiderations for tax credits undertaken by Synnex-Concentix UK Ltd since the start of the contract. The data is accurate as at 2 November 2015.Within WeekNumberOne1,136Two133Three160Four117Five97Six94Seven89Eight70Nine44Ten38More than ten106

Welfare Tax Credits

Graham Jones: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many independent tribunals have been brought to challenge mandatory reconsiderations of tax credits by Concentrix in each month since that company has been under contract with his Department.

Damian Hinds: The following table outlines the number of applications HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) received from HM Court and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) as a result of a mandatory reconsideration decision made by Concentrix.MonthNumber of applications HMRC received from HMCTS following a mandatory reconsideration decision made by ConcentrixMarch 20153April 20151May 20156June 20155July 20153August 20153September 201519Prior to March 2015 HMRC did not receive any applications from HMCTS challenging a mandatory reconsideration decision made by Concentrix.

Welfare Tax Credits: Refugees

David T. C. Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people who have been granted refugee leave have claimed backdated tax credits in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs do not hold the requested data

Welfare Tax Credits: Refugees

David T. C. Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been paid from the public purse in backdated tax credits to people who have been granted refugee leave in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs do not hold the requested data.

Treasury: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which regulations his Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015 to date; which regulations his Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2016 and (ii) 2017; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Mr David Gauke: I refer the hon Member to the answer given by Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) (Business and Enterprise) the rt hon Anna Soubry on 11 November 2015

Guardian's Allowance: Immigrants

David T. C. Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been paid from the public purse in backdated guardian's allowance to people who have been granted leave in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs does not hold the requested information.

Guardian's Allowance: Refugees

David T. C. Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people who have been granted refugee leave claimed backdated guardian's allowance in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs do not hold the requested information.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which regulations her Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015 to date; which regulations her Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2016 and (ii) 2017; and what estimate she has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Mr Ben Wallace: I refer the hon Member to the answer given by my Rt hon Friend, the Minister for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise (Anna Soubry) on 11 November 2015.

Department of Health

Vitamin D

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that people receive sufficient vitamin D each day.

Jane Ellison: NHS Choices and the Start4Life website contain information on good sources of vitamin D foods and set out, for those at risk of vitamin D deficiency, the benefits of vitamin D supplementation. This is particularly important for pregnant and breastfeeding women, for babies and children up to the age of five, for those over 65 and people who are not exposed to much sunlight.For those at risk of Vitamin D deficiency, the UK Chief Medical Officers have also provided advice on vitamin D supplements which is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/213703/dh_132508.pdfThe National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance stating that awareness of vitamin D supplementation should be provided to at-risk groups by local public health teams, health and social care practitioners and voluntary and community groups.The Healthy Start Scheme is a statutory scheme which aims to improve the nutritional health of pregnant women and children under the age of four in low income families by providing vouchers that can be exchanged for free Healthy Start vitamins containing vitamin D.

Baby Care Units

Iain Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the names are of the in-patient mother and baby units specialising in caring for women during the perinatal period that were open in 2010.

Alistair Burt: Mother and Baby Units open in 2010:Newcastle Beadnell Ward, St George’s Park, Morpeth, NorthumberlandLeeds Mother and Baby Unit, Leeds Partnership Foundation TrustManchester Anderson Ward, Wythenshawe HospitalNottingham Perinatal Psychiatric Services, Perinatal Inpatient UnitDerby Mother and Baby Psychiatric Unit, Derby City General, Uttoxeter Rd, DerbyLeicester Mother and Baby Unit, Brandon Unit, Leicester General Hospital (closed 2014)Stafford Brockington Mother and Baby Unit, St George’s Hospital FoundationBirmingham Mother and Baby Unit, Queen Elizabeth HospitalWelwyn Garden Thumbswood, Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, Howlands, WelwynHackney Mother and Baby Unit, Mermaid Ward, City and Hackney Centre for Mental Health, Homerton Hospital, Homerton RowNorth Middlesex Coombe Wood Perinatal Mental Health Unit, Coombe Wood Annexe, Park Royal Centre for Mental HealthBeckenham Mother and Baby Unit, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Monks Orchard Rd, Beckenham, KentBristol New Horizon Mother and Baby Centre, Southmead HospitalBasingstoke Fairways House, Parklands Hospital (Moved to Winchester in 2013)The Eastbourne Clinic Mother and Baby Unit, Eastbourne, East Sussex (this unit was open in 2010 but not referenced in report closed 2014)Mother and Baby Unit, Godden Green Clinic, Godden Green, Sevenoaks, Kent (closed in 2010)York Mother and Baby Unit, Bootham Park Hospital (closed temporarily in 2010 and remained closed)Source: National Perinatal Mental Health Project Report 2010This information updates previous information submitted in relation to the number of mother and baby units open in 2010. Previous answers were drawn from the Specialised Mental Health Services (all ages) Definition No 22 (2009), which states that “there are 10 MBUs in England” but does not include a list of the 10 units.The updated answer is taken from the 2010 National Perinatal Mental Health Project Report. The Department recommends using the latter as the source of information on services in 2010 as this report provides more detail, specifying the name and location of the units.

Baby Care Units

Iain Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many in-patient mother and baby units specialising in caring for women during the perinatal period closed between 2010 and 2015; and how many such units are open.

Alistair Burt: Between 2010 and 2015, four mother and baby units closed and two opened. In addition the unit located at Basingstoke in 2010 moved to Winchester in 2013. The units now currently open are detailed below.Mother and Baby units open in 2015Beadnell Mother and Baby Unit, MorpethLeeds Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Mother and Baby UnitManchester Mother and Baby UnitNottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust Perinatal Psychiatric ServicesDerby Mother and Baby Unit, Derby City GeneralBrockington Mother and Baby Unit, St. George’s Hospital, StaffordBarberry Mother and Baby Unit, BirminghamThumbswood Mother and Baby Unit, WelwynRainbow Mother and Baby Unit, Chelmsford (new unit opened 2013)Margaret Oates Mother and Baby Unit, Homerton HospitalCoombe Wood Mother and Baby Unit, Coombe Wood, LondonSouth London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Mother and Baby UnitThe New Horizon Mother and Baby Centre, Southmead Hospital, BristolWinchester Mother and Baby Unit, Royal Hampshire County HospitalFlorence House Mother and Baby unit, Bournemouth (new unit opened 2013)Source: NHS England National ERG Report 2015

Dental Health: Children

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings in the report of the Office for National Statistics, Decennial Child Dental Health Survey that (a) 46 per cent of 15 year olds and 34 per cent of 12 year olds had obvious decay experience in their permanent teeth and (b) children eligible for free school meals are significantly less likely to be in good overall oral health than those not eligible.

Jane Ellison: The decennial Child Dental Health Survey is part of the Public Health England (PHE) dental public health intelligence programme which provides population oral health surveillance. Local authorities have responsibility for oral health improvement. In 2014 PHE published an evidence informed toolkit for local authorities to support their work on oral health improvement among children and young people. PHE also published an evidence based toolkit for dental teams to support preventive advice and treatment for their patients, including the prevention of tooth decay in children.  Eligibility for free school meals was used as a proxy indicator of relative deprivation in the study, as it is well established that poor oral health is associated with deprivation. The findings of this study continue to support that understanding.  The results of the most recent decennial child dental health survey were published this year by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) and can be found at:  http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB17137

Hives

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to improve the level of accurate chronic spontaneous urticaria diagnosis in primary care.

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of urticaria among (a) the general public and (b) health professionals in primary care.

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria have access to appropriate treatments and care at specialist centres.

Jane Ellison: Urticaria, more commonly referred as to as hives, is estimated to affect 1 in 6 people at some point in their lives, compared with 1 in 1,000 people for chronic urticaria. Many people will experience urticarial in response to a food or drug reaction or insect sting, and some find emotional stress can be a trigger. However some people experience more prolonged or chronic bouts of the condition. In such cases an autoimmune reaction is thought to be associated with a high number of cases without an identifiable cause. A range of information for the public on the conditions is available via NHS Choices.The care of people with skin problems is a core competence of general practitioner training and people with urticaria can usually be managed through routine access to primary or second care services. To support clinicians in the diagnosis, treatment, care and support of patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has developed an online Clinical Knowledge Summary (CKS) for the management of the condition. Patients can usually be managed with either anti-histamines or steroids, but the guidance also makes clear that patients with chronic urticarial should be considered for a referral to a dermatologist. In addition, July 2015 NICE published the Technology Appraisal Omalizumab for previously treated chronic spontaneous urticarial, recommending the drug for patients in whom the conditions is identified as severe and standard treatments have not improved the symptoms. Both the NICE CKS and technology Appraisal can be found at the following links:http://cks.nice.org.uk/urticariawww.nice.org.uk/guidance/ta339/resources/omalizumab-for-previously-treated-chronic-spontaneous-urticaria-82602555773893For those patients with the most serious forms of chronic spontaneous urticaria who cannot be managed through routine access treatments provided through primary or secondary care, a referral to a specialised dermatology service may be appropriate. NHS England commissions services for people with rare and complex skin conditions and has set out what providers must have in place in order to offer specialist dermatology care. These services may provide more intensive therapies with a involvement of a range of health and care professionals, subject to that patient’s needs. More information can be found at the following link:www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/a12-spec-dermatology.pdf

Diabetes

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to help raise awareness of diabetes in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) the UK.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what is being done to raise awareness of diabetes and to encourage people to seek medical advice for this condition.

Jane Ellison: The NHS Health Check programme is one of the mandatory public health functions of local authorities in England. It aims to prevent some of the biggest causes of premature death and disability in people aged 40-74.A routine part of NHS Health Check involves assessing a person’s risk of Type 2 diabetes and, for those at risk, a diagnostic test to confirm whether they have the condition. This then informs a discussion on, and agreement of, the lifestyle and medical approaches best suited to managing the person’s risk of developing cardiovascular diseases such as Type 2 diabetes.As the National Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDPP) begins phased national roll out in 2016/17, the programme will be providing information that helps raise awareness of the risk factors associated with developing Type 2 Diabetes and the lifestyle changes that they can make to reduce their risk – including, if eligible attending the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme. This activity is already underway in our seven demonstrator sites that the programme is working with. Within Yorkshire and the Humber, Bradford is one of these demonstrator sites.Building on the NDPP, the Department is developing its plans to improve outcomes for those with and at risk of diabetes. These will be announced in due course.

Mental Health Services

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how he plans to assess whether clinical commissioning groups in England have met the NHS England planning guidance requirement to give real terms spending increases to mental health services in 2015-16.

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Chief Executive of NHS England on spending on mental health services during 2015-16.

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much each clinical commissioning group spent on mental health services in England in each year from 2013-14 to 2015-16.

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much NHS England spent on mental health services in England for each year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Chief Executive of Monitor on spending on mental health services during 2015-16.

Alistair Burt: In total, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have set plans for 2015/16 which reflect an increase in mental health care expenditure in excess of their increase in allocation for the year. NHS England is tracking actual expenditure against those plans and it will report to the Secretary of State at the end of the year on whether those plans have been met.Departmental Ministers meet the Chief Executives of NHS England and Monitor regularly and discuss a wide range of issues, including funding for mental health services.NHS England was formally established on 1 April 2013.Expenditure by NHS England on Specialist Mental Health Services for 2013/14 was £1.780 billion and £1.795 billion in 2014/15. NHS England’s planned expenditure on Specialist Mental Health Services for 2015/16 is £1.859 billion.NHS England has published CCG level expenditure on mental health for 2013/14, which was estimated to be £8.1 billion. CCGs are currently in the process of preparing estimates of expenditure for mental health services in 2014/15. Estimates for 2015/16 are not available.

Mental Health Services: Pregnant Women

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of women with perinatal mental health problems had access to specialist counselling in the last year for which figures are available.

Alistair Burt: The information requested is not currently collected.The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) is working on the implementation of a new Mental Health Services Dataset which will seek to increase the amount of data available about mental health. The exact reporting which will result from this is still being determined, but perinatal mental health has been identified as a key policy area where more data is required in order to understand the current issues with the services being provided to women in the perinatal period.In terms of reporting that will come out of the dataset, this is likely to include reports on:- how many referrals to mental health services identify perinatal mental health issues as the primary reason for referral;- how many women are identified as being on a perinatal pathway when they come into contact with mental health services;- whether women who are admitted with mental health problems are admitted to an appropriate unit; and- the kind of care which is provided to women in the perinatal period by community mental health services. We expect that some initial data on perinatal mental health will be available between June and September next year. This will be basic information, such as the number of referrals to mental health services that identify perinatal mental health issues as the primary reason for referral, and we expect data volumes to be low in the first instance. We will use this initial information to refine how data on perinatal mental health is collected going forward.

Mental Health Services: Strokes

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department has assigned to providing mental health services for patients with stroke diagnoses for 2015-16.

Alistair Burt: We do not hold this information centrally.

Mental Health Services: Pregnant Women

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Chief Executive of NHS England about perinatal mental health services; and what plans he has to improve such services.

Alistair Burt: My Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State meets the Chief Executive of NHS England on a regular basis and discusses a wide range of issues, including improving access to mental health services.The Government is committed to improving perinatal mental health services for women during pregnancy and the first postnatal year. In the March 2015 budget the Government announced £75 million over five years, £15 million per year, to support women with mental ill health in the perinatal period. NHS England is leading a work programme to ensure that this money is spent in the right way, at the right time and in the right places. This work is being carried out collaboratively with system partners, including the Department of Health and Public Health England, clinical experts and service users.On the 10 November I met with representatives from NHS England and a small group of perinatal mental health experts to discuss improving perinatal mental health services.Health Education England has a mandate commitment to ensure that trained specialist mental health staff are available to support mothers in every birthing unit by 2017. And a further mandate commitment requires Health Education England to work with the Royal Colleges to support perinatal mental health training being incorporated into the postgraduate training syllabus for doctors by 2017.Over 600 perinatal mental health visitor champions have been trained who are supporting health visitors with the identification and management of anxiety, mild to moderate depression and other perinatal mental disorders and knowing when to refer on.

Department of Health: Freedom of Information

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what average time his Department took to respond to freedom of information requests in each year since 2005.

Jane Ellison: The Government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within central government, including on timeliness. These can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

Department of Health: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which regulations his Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015 to date; which regulations his Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2016 and (ii) 2017; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Jane Ellison: In the years indicated, the Department has introduced the following regulations, either wholly or partially, as a result of European Union legislation:2013- Statutory Instruments 2013/1855 and 2013/2593 concerning the regulation of medicines.- Statutory Instrument 2013/2327 concerning the regulation of medical devices.- National Health Service (Cross-Border Healthcare) Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/2269).- The Infant Formula and Follow-on Formula (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/3243).- Medical Profession (Responsible Officers) (Amendment) Regulations 2013.2014- Statutory Instrument 2014/490 concerning the regulation of medicines.- Quality and Safety of Organs Intended for Transplantation (Amendment) Regulations 2014 (SI 2014/1459).- Health Care and Associated Professions (Indemnity Arrangements) Order 2014 (Order 2014/1887).- The Human Tissue (Quality and Safety for Human Application) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 (SI 2014/2883).- The Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Quality and Safety) Regulations 2014 (SI 2014/2884).- General Medical Council (Fitness to Practise) (Amendment) Rules Order of Council 2014.- General Medical Council (Licence to Practise and Revalidation) (Amendment) Regulations Order of Council 2014.- General Medical Council (Restoration following Administrative Erasure) (Amendment) Regulations Order of Council 2014.- General Medical Council (Voluntary Erasure and Restoration following Voluntary Erasure) (Amendment) Regulations Order of Council 2014.- Medical Act 1983 (Amendment) (Knowledge of English) Order 2014.- The Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2014.2015 to date:- National Health Service (Cross-Border Healthcare) (Amendment) Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/139).- General Chiropractic Council (Indemnity Arrangements) Rules Order of Council 2015.- General Osteopathic Council (Indemnity Arrangements) Rules Order of Council 2015.- General Medical Council (Fitness to Practise and Over-arching Objective) and the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (References to Court) Order 2015.- Health Care and Associated Professions (Knowledge of English) Order 2015.- Health Care and Associated Professions (Knowledge of English) Order 2015 (Commencement No 1) Order of Council 2015. In the years indicated, the Department expects to implement the following regulations as a as a result of EU legislation:2016- The Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Quality and Safety) Regulations 2016.- The Human Tissue (Quality and Safety for Human Application) (Amendment) Regulations 2016.- Regulation (EU) 609/2013, concerning detailed requirements as to the composition of certain specific types of food (infant and follow-on formula; processed cereal-based foods and baby foods; foods for special medical purposes; and total diet replacement for weight control), and the nutritional information that must be provided in respect of such foods.- The European Qualification (Health and Social Care Professions) Regulations 2016.- The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016.2017- Regulations implementing the EU Regulation on Clinical Trials and Regulations implementing the two EU Regulations on Medical Devices and In-vitro Medical Devices.When the Department makes regulations that transpose EU legislation, it follows the guidance and framework set by the Better Regulation Executive. This requires the Department to prepare and publish an impact assessment only when the net costs to business are greater than £1 million per year. These would be laid with associated regulations and explanatory memorandum.

Health Services: Costs

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he has any plans to inform NHS users of the actual costs of visits, treatments and prescriptions.

Alistair Burt: The Government intends to publish the indicative medicine costs to the National Health Service on the dispensing label of all medicines dispensed in the community in England costing more than £20 from late 2016.Reference costs, which show the average unit costs to National Health Service hospital trusts of treatments and visits, are published annually by the Department on the Government website. There are no plans to inform patients of these costs each time they use the service.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve children and young people's mental health services.

Alistair Burt: Children and young people’s mental health is a priority area for this Government. We are committed to delivering the vision set out in Future in mind through the launch of a major system-wide transformation programme working alongside our partners in Government and arm’s length bodies. This will improve access and make services more widely available across the country.To support this transformation, an additional£1.4 billion funding has been made available over the course of this Parliament for spending on children and young people’s mental health, of which we are spending £173 million this year, including £30 million on eating disorders. This will be used to improve community-based services so that young people are helped earlier and are less likely to need to go into hospital. It will also enable the expansion and extension of the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme so that a wider range of those who need it are able to access high quality and evidence-based interventions wherever they may live. All clinical commissioning groups have been asked to work with their partners to develop Local Transformation Plans to transform their local offer to improve children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.A national programme of work will support local areas, including the extension and expansion of the use of evidence- based interventions, tackling stigma, improving data and information to inform greater transparency and accountability and developing a specialist and stronger workforce.

Tobacco

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2015 to Question 13135, if he will place in the Library a copy of the review described at section A7 of Schedule One of the contract for the provision of tobacco control legislation enforcement undertaken by the contractor.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many organisations submitted applications for his Department's tender for the provision of the tobacco control legislation enforcement contract awarded in 2013.

Jane Ellison: Section A7 of Schedule One, entitled ‘Grounds for discretionary rejection’ is available at:https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive/contract/1072169/The schedule does not describe a review.Two applications were submitted for the current tobacco control legislation enforcement contract.

Tobacco

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) contracts and (b) grants have been awarded by the tobacco policy team in his Department in each of the last five years; what the (i) name of the recipient, (ii) purpose of the contract or grant, (iii) financial value, (iv) job title of the lead official overseeing the procurement process was in each such case; and whether ministerial approval was required or given in each such case.

Jane Ellison: The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department of Health: Trading Standards Institute

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many secondments have taken place between his Department and the Chartered Institute of Trading Standards in the last 15 years; and in what capacity each such secondment was undertaken.

Jane Ellison: At senior civil servant level (SCS) there have been no secondments between the Department and the Chartered Institute of Trading Standards.For civil servants and posts at grades lower than SCS, no such secondments have taken place, as far back as our central records for these secondments extend, that is, back to 2009.

Obesity: Children

Dr Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential efficacy of introducing restrictions on the advertising of foods high in saturated fats, sugars and salts on television before 9pm in reducing rates of childhood obesity.

Jane Ellison: There is a total ban in place on the advertising of foods high in fat, sugars and salt during children’s television programmes, on dedicated children’s broadcast channels and in programmes of particular appeal to children under the age of 16.We have noted Public Health England’s recent assessment of evidence on the impact of marketing to children as set out in their report Sugar Reduction: The evidence for action. We are considering this advice, along with other areas of potential action, as part of our plans to bring forward a childhood obesity strategy in the new year.Sugar Reduction: The evidence for action is available at:www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/470179/Sugar_reduction_The_evidence_for_action.pdf

Alcoholic Drinks: Children

Dr Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to reduce the exposure of children to alcohol marketing.

Jane Ellison: The Department is not responsible for alcohol marketing.In 2014, 8% of pupils had drunk alcohol in the last week, which is less than half the level in 2003 when this was 25%. There has been a consistent decrease the percentage children and young people drinking in the last week since 2003.The survey data can be found at:http://www.hscic.gov.uk/article/2021/Website-Search?productid=18273&q=Smoking+drinking+Drug+use+survey+2013&sort=Relevance&size=10&page=1&area=both#top

Death: Weather

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on measures to tackle avoidable winter deaths.

Jane Ellison: Work with European counterparts continues to be seen as an important way of reducing avoidable winter deaths and the building of partnerships and programmes will remain an ongoing focus of effort. For example, Public Health England (PHE) produces the annual cold weather plan for England (CWP) a framework intended to protect the population from harm to health from cold weather. The CWP was developed in consultation with WHO Euro.The global disaster risk reduction and seasonal influenza teams at PHE also work with European counterparts to reduce avoidable winter deaths. Key initiatives include engagement with the Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre and the flu surveillance network.

Death: Weather

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what additional funding his Department is making available to local authorities to support implementation of interventions to reduce excess winter deaths.

Jane Ellison: The Government has invested an extra £400 million nationally to support health and care services over the winter period. This money will enable the NHS and local authorities to support people through the winter period. By making the money available from the start of the financial year, we have created certainty, enabling the health and care system to prepare more effectively than in previous years.

Mental Health Services: Waiting Lists

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to set additional access and waiting time standards for NHS mental health services following the introduction of standards for adult IAPT and Early Intervention in Psychosis services.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether clinical commissioning groups have received real terms increases in mental health care funding in 2015-16; and if he will publish information on changes to mental health core funding in that year.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Chief Executive of NHS England on introducing new access and waiting time standards for mental health services.

Alistair Burt: NHS England (NHSE) and the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health published on 3 August 2015, a commissioning guide for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) that will set out how to implement the access and waiting time standard for children and young people with an eating disorder. The standard will be refined for implementation from 2017–18. From 2017, NHSE will set a minimum proportion of young people referred for assessment or treatment that are expected to receive treatment within the standard’s timeframe.We expect that the Mental Health Taskforce report and Mental Health Five Year Forward View will set a plan for developing appropriate pathways and we will work with NHSE to agree next steps.Departmental Ministers meet with the Chief Executive of NHS England regularly and discuss a wide range of issues, including access and waiting time standards for mental health services.CCGs do not receive a specific allocation for mental health services, but are required to allocate funds as appropriate to all the services that they are responsible for commissioning. For 2015/16, CCGs received increases in allocations in total of 3.7%, though the increase varied for each CCG.In the planning guidance for 2015/16, NHS England asked that all CCGs increase their spend on mental health by at least as much as their overall increase in allocation.In total, CCGs have set plans for 2015/16 which reflect an increase in mental health care expenditure which exceeds the increase in their allocation.

Women and Equalities

Females: Councillors and Members

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what plans she has to improve the representation of women among (a) hon. Members and (b) local councillors.

Caroline Dinenage: This is the most gender diverseParliamentin British history – we now have more female MPs than ever before and one third of those attending cabinet are women. However, we know there is more that can be done to increase women’s political representation. Getting more women into public life is vital to effectively represent and govern our country.The Equality Act 2010 enables political parties to use positive action, should they wish, to increase participation by under-represented groups.We also know that women are under-represented on local councils, making up only 31.7% of members. This is why schemes such as the ‘Be a Councillor Campaign’ run by the Local Government Association to encourage new candidates from all walks of life to come forward and represent their local community, are so important.